Citizenship Day celebration in Olmsted County

(ABC 6 News) – It’s been a challenging year, there’s no doubt about that, and different cities in our area are hosting Welcoming Week events to bring people together to create an inclusive space for all.

One of the highlight events are the Citizenship Day celebration at the Olmsted County government center.

18 people celebrated becoming naturalized citizens.

They each received a certificate and you could see people smiling through their face masks. Carolina Torres was one of those people.

She’s been in this country since 2009 and she migrated here from Central America. Torres said at the event, she feels happy. Her dream of becoming a citizen is finally a reality.

“I feel free! I’m able to call my family back home, so thank you,” Torres said.

Organizers of the event say the best part is seeing people come together for this special occasion.

“This is so exciting to see, especially the ones being recognized today and seeing their families today. There was a lot of people here today that we weren’t expecting this amount, but it turned out to be good,” Clara Sifuentes, administrative assistant for Olmsted County said.

This event is one of the many welcome week events that are happening over the course of the next few days.